connolly



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. .D. GONNOLLY.

ELECTRIC SWITGH.

No. 262,646. Patented Aug. 15, 1882.

WITNESSES; I 4 JNVEINTOR M Arnie/V1515 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

M. D. GONNOLLY.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Patented Aug. 15', 1882.

j UVVEN TOR A TTOR/Lhfb'j N. PETERS. Pbclo-Lilhogrzphar. Washington, D.Q

UNITED STATES ATENT S'FFIQE.

M. DANIEL OONNOLLY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SPENCERD. SOHUYLER, OF NEW-YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 262,646, dated August15, 1882.

Application filedNovember 29, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I,M. DANL. GoNNoLLY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania,-have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Electric Switches or Circuit-Changers; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings,which form part of this specification, in whichFigures1and2 are diagrams illustratingmy invention.

My invention has relation to switches or circuit-changers for electricconductors, and particularly to those employed for telephonictransmission.

My improvements have for their object to provide a switch orcircuit-changer operative by hand, and in which the connection ofnormally-independent lines is effected by a rotary movement of theswitching devices.

I will now describe my invention as applicable to the connection ofconductors which form the subscribers lines of a telephone-exchange,such lines converging to a central office, where the switching devicesare located. For the purpose of such illustration the apparatus shown ismodeled closely upon the automatic telephone exchange described andclaimed in the joint application of myself, Thomas A. Connolly, andThomas J. McTighe, filed August 29,188l'that is to say,Iemploy therings, contact-fingers, and bars of saidjoint application. I dispense,however, with the polarized relays shownin said application, whereby thebattery is thrown onto the ringactuating magnets, substituting therefora manual key, and instead of leading the incomin g lines directlyfromthe exchange apparatus to ground Icarry them to an annunciatorprovided with means for receiving an alarm, for returning an answeringalarm, and for placing a telephone in circuit. Hence the resemblancebetween the invention herein described and that shown in the jointapplication aforesaid is that in both cases the connection of nor-.

madly-independent lines is made bya rotary or traveling movement of thecentral-office mechanism. The difference between them consistsessentiallyin the fact that in the automatic arrangement the connectionof lines is efiecte-d,

without manual intervention at the central office, by subscribersthemselves sending electric impulses over their lines, causing relays atthe central office to be actuated, and thus move the switch mechanism,while in the pres ent case subscribers call up the central office, andthe latter makes the desired connection by manual operation.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A shows the central-officeswitch, comprising a series of rings or Wheels, B B B, mounted in asuitable frame, 0, so as to be capable of being rotated therein, bypreference on a central shaft,D. Each of these rings or Wheels carries acontact-finger, b, there being one such ring or wheel and finger foreach subsoribers line. To each line is also assigned a contactbar, E,said bars being so disposed that they may be swung outwardly, but whenstanding in theirnormal position are in the paths of thecontact-fingers, so as to be engaged by thela'tter as they travelaround. The circuit of each line is through the ring or wheel, finger,and contact-bar, as in the joint application above mentioned. When thefinger of one line is in engagement with the bar of another the twolines so engaged arein the same circuit. When a finger is not so engagedthe circuit of its line is to an annunciator, I*, having a bell, F,

and shutters or drops f f f one for each line. 'with means (designatedin the drawings at G) Such annunciator has or is connected for puttingatelephone, H, in each line at the central ofiioe, and a battery, I, orequivalent generator, for sending back answering signals. These parts,comprising the annunciator and its appurtenances, need not beparticularly described, as they are or may be the same as those commonlyemployed in connection with plug switch-boards, used for like purpose.

To produce the rotation of the rings any suitable mechanical orelectromechanical means may be employed. In the drawings 1 haveillustrated pawl-and-ratchet mechanism, the pawls being connected withthe armatures 7c of the electro-magnets K, upon which local circuits ofbatteries L are closed by manual keys L.

M represents subscribers boxes, of the usual or any suitableconstruction, having electric bells 'm to receive signals, batteries m,(or equivalent magneto-electric generators,) push buttons m for throwingthe batteries onto line to send signals over thelatter, and telephonesN, with suitable appliances and connections for placing the same incircuit with such lines and boxes. Lines 0 lead from the boxes to thecentral-office mechanism, each line entering the latter by binding-postsa, thence to segment a, and by brush d (on contact-bar E, but insulatedtherefrom) to segment a thence to insulated strip or plate I), inelectric contact with rings or wheels B, thence to finger b, thence bytail-piece to segment b on lower section of ring B, from said lowersection to annunciator, and from the latter to ground.

The operation is as follows: A subscriber calls central office bymanipulating his pushbutton m This sends a signal over the line, movingdrop or shutterf and ringing bell at central office. Central officeresponds by an answering signal, and then puts telephone into circuit.Subscriber states the connection he desires, which is then effected bycentralotfice attendant working the key L of calling line. This producesa rotation of calling subscribers ring, his contact finger travelingtherewith and engaging with the contact-bar ot' the sought line. Themovement of the finger on its pivot, resulting from the engagement ofsuch finger with the bar it engages, cuts out the circuit of the callingline to the annunciator, as such movement involves the movement of thetail-piece b off the segment b through which circuit ishad t0annunciator. Reciprocally the outward movement of a contact-bar,resulting from engagement with such bar of a finger, cuts out theannunciator from an engaged or called line, as such movement of the barmoves the brush cl on said bar off its segment, bringing its otherbrush, d, which is in metallic contact with said bar, into contact withthe metal post (1 on the segment a. Hence when two lines are 0011-nected, as described, the circuit is direct between them, to theexclusion of the annunciator and its appliances. If, however, it bedesired to allow the annunciator and its battery and telephoneappurtenances to remain in circuit, so that after two lines areconnected the central office can send a signalover said lines to notifythe subscribers that connection has been established and can retain atelephone in the circuit, the circuits may be arranged as shown in Fig.2. In this arrangement circuit is from a subscribers box to binding-posta, thence to segment a, thence across brush or bridge d to inner shortsegment, a thence to annunciator, from annunciator back to switch A bybinding-post c, thence to insulated strip 1), to ring B, to finger b, toground. Now, when a subscriber has called central office and has had hisring rotated by central office until his contact-finger engages with abar his brush d still maintains the connection between the two segmentsa a belonging to his own line, and his circuit therefore is throughandincludes the annunciator and its appurtenances. He has, however, beenout 01f from ground at the central office by reason of the movement ofthe tail-piece of his finger, and his circuit is therefore onwardthrough the bar of the subscriber with which his contact-finger engagesto and over the line pertaining to such bar; but this bar, which Icallthe engaged bar, has been moved so far by the finger engaging with itthat the insulated brush of said bar is 011' its own inner segment.Hence the engaged line has its own annunciator-connection cut off; butas the annunciator ot' the calling line and its battery and telephoneappurtenances are in the normal circuit of the calling line the centralofiice may by these latter signal over both connected lines after theirconnection has been ett'ected and retain, if desired, its telephone inthe circuit.

I have shown and described my improvements in connection with aparticular form of switching mechanism; but I do not limit my claims tothe combination therewith, as my invention includes any form ofswitching apparatus in which the connection of lines is effected bynormally-operated devices which produce such connection by a rotarymovement, such devices being uncontrolled in their movements by electricimpulses sent over the lines.

I have shown electric keys and batteries for closing circuits on magnetswhose armatures are connected with pawl-and-ratchet mechanism forproducing a rotation of the wheels and rings; but I reserve the right tosubstitute any mechanical devices which will etfect the same result.

I should here call attention to the fact that in Fig. 1 the annunciatoris shown in what may be termed the ground-circuiti. 0., between theswitching device and ground. In this arrangement, as already stated, theannunciator is cut out as to any two lines when such lines areconnected. In Fig. 2, however, the annunciator is actually in theinternal circuit of the machine-210., in the circuit between the shortinner segment, a, and the insulated strip b-such position correspondingto that of the polarized relays in the joint application alreadymentioned. In this position, as already explained, the annunciatorremains in the normal circuit of a calling line, being cut out, however,from the normal circuit of an engaged line. In this position the centraloflice can send alarms, &c., over connected lines. There is a thirdposition in which the annunciator may be placed-namely, in the mainline, or in circuit between the subscribers boxes and the switch. Inthis position the annunciator would not at any time be cut out ofcircuit by the switch. My invention accordingly includes thecombination, with a manual rotary switching device, of an annunciatorand its suggested appurtenances, whether located in the ground, theinternal, or the main -line circuit.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. A rotary switching device or circuitchanger comprising a series oftravelers provided with contact-makers and transverse conductors, whichform parts of the circuits of in dependent lines, such travelers beingadapted and designed to move so as to bring such circuit-makerssuccessively into contact with said transverse conductors, incombination with means, substantially as stated, for producing by manualoperation movement therein to effect the connection ofnormally-independent lines, such means being located at the switch outof line-circuit and uncontrolled by electric impulses sent over saidlines, as set forth.

2. The combination of a switching device or circuit-changer in which theconnection of any two normally-independent lines is effected by a rotarymovement of a traveler pertaining to one of such lines with means,substantially as stated, for producing such movement by manualoperation, and an annunciator with appurtenances for throwing a batteryonto line and placing a telephone in circuit at the central oflice orpoint of connection, substantially as set forth.

,3. The combination, with a rotary switching device or circuit-changeradapted and designed to effect connection of normally-independent lines,of means located at the switch for moving the same by manual operationsand an annunciator and appurtenances for throwing a battery onto lineand placing a telephone in circuit at the central office or point ofconnection, such annunciator being located in the internal'circuit ofthe switch, whereby when two lines are connected an alarm may be sentover both from the central office and communications passing over suchconnected lines be received at such office, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a series of subscribers or local boxes havingmeans for receiving and sending electric alarms and telephoniccommunications, a switching device having line-connections with suchboxes and designed and adapted to effect connection of any two suchlines by rotary movement of one of the contacting devices of such lines,means, substantially as stated, for producing such rotary movement bymanual operation at the central oflice or place of connection, and anannunciator with appliances for throwing a battery onto line and placinga telephone in circuit, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a rotary switching device comprising a series oftravelers carry- M. DANL. OONNOLLY.

WVitnesses S. J. VAN STAVOREN, Guns. F. VAN Homv.

